Analyzing our pop culture footprint one jump shot at a time.

Do you ever find yourself pulling up old Youtube clips of your favorite retired NBA players wishing you could watch them one more time? Well, your wish is Ice Cube’s command.

Rapper/entertainer Ice Cube has formed a new league, The Big 3, which will feature ex-professional players over the age of 30 to compete 3-on-3 beginning this summer.

The league was introduced last Wednesday in New York with ex-NBA stars Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin, Chauncey Billups, and Stephen Jackson headlining the press conference.

“It sucks to see your favorite players retire. There’s nothing good about it, especially when you know they still got game,” Cube said during the press conference. “My father always told me if you don’t think big, you will always be small. So, we came up with a big idea. It was to bring a style of basketball that I grew up playing, watching, and loving, which is 3-on-3 basketball.”

The Big 3 will technically begin in March with their inaugural draft to fill out each of the 8-teams 5-man roster. The season will last 10 weeks, with the final two reserved for the playoffs, the season officially tips-off June 24th. (Stay tuned for where and how to watch these dames) This is an opportunity for former players to scratch that itch, lace up their shoes, and play competitive basketball again.

Games will be played every Saturday in 10 cities around the country. Possibly the greatest aspect about the league is the fact that it’s back to the playground for these NBA stars. Contests will not be timed; instead it will be first to 60 with a seven-minute halftime when the first team reaches 30 points. There will also be a four-point shot designated by a circle several feet behind the three-point arch (shout out to MTV Rock n Jock).

As of now, the biggest name committed to the league is new Hall of Fame inductee Allen “The Answer” Iverson. The former 2001 NBA MVP couldn’t pass up the chance to get play again.

“When I got the call it was a no-brainer, it’s Ice … you don’t turn that down,” Iverson said at a news conference in New York on Wednesday to introduce the league. “That’s success looking you right into your eyes. I just wanted to be a part of it and I hope that me being a part of it makes it a success like everything he’s been doing in his life.”

Other noteworthy players who have committed to the league worth mentioning are Rashard Lewis, Jermaine O’Neal, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, Mike Bibby, and Bonzi Wells.

Cube, a die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fans, hopes to one day have his favorite player join the league, Kobe Bryant. In an interview on ESPN’s flagship show Sportscenter, he emphasized that it would be his dream to see the Black Mamba suit up and play again.

TV deals are still looming, but this league is going to be the ultimate fan experience and help ease the pain for when players retire.